Chocolate chip cookies with sourdough discard!
These cookies have a slightly crisp exterior, with a perfectly soft and chewy interior. The sourdough discard gives them such a delicious depth of flavor. You'll have these in your regular sourdough rotation in no time!
I kind of was hesitant to venture into cookie territory with my sourdough discard, but boy oh boy am I glad I went for it! These chocolate chip cookies have joined the ranks of my household's all-time favorite chocolate chip cookies (along with these soft pudding chocolate chip cookies, and these molasses oatmeal chocolate chip cookies).
I make a batch, they are gone within 30 hours, people are sad they're gone, then request more and I make them and the cycle begins again. We have a good thing going!
Are you wondering if you can taste the sourdough here??
I was too.
If you just handed me one of these cookies and told me to eat it, FIRST OFF we would be fast friends, and second, I would have no clue they were made with sourdough discard.
But, since I have made and eaten these myself many times, I am always thinking about if I can taste a hint of sourdough in them. And I can! There is something sourdoughy about them. Just a little twang, you know?
It's not overpowering, it's not even really that noticeable at all. I think it makes them more distinguished!
How to make cookies with sourdough discard
These cookies follow the standard cookie-making rhythm of: mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients (sourdough discard included!), stir drys into wets, add in chocolate chips, bake, eat!
DO be careful not to overmix this dough when adding the dry ingredients - doing so can cause the gluten in the sourdough discard to develop and leave you with tough (but otherwise delicious!) cookies.
Chilling the dough
This dough can be baked immediately or chilled for up to 24 hours. I prefer these cookies baked from chilled dough, but if I'm in a hurry and want a cookie before I have time to chill the dough, I am baking them right away and they are still good!
Chilled cookie dough spreads less and will puff up more, so if you like a thicker cookie, you will want to chill this dough.
If you want to bake cookies immediately after mixing the dough, the cookies will be thinner and crisper. Both versions are good!
For full affects of a chilled dough, I'd chill it for at least 3 hours.
The add-ins
This is a recipe for chocolate chip cookies, but, spoiler: you can add in any add-ins you want here!
White chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, cinnamon chips, butterscotch chips, raisins, dried cranberries, any kind of nut... if you can stir it into cookie dough, you can do it!
I'm in the camp of: if I have chocolate chips, I am making a chocolate chip cookie, but one fateful night I was whipping up a batch of sourdough discard cookies, and found ZERO semisweet chocolate chips in our pantry. So I did half white chocolate and half dark chocolate and called them zebra cookies and they may have been my favorite batch to date.
I don't know, I maybe need to make both to test side by side...
But ANYWAYS, use whatever you like! This is really just a jumping off point for you to live your wildest sourdough discard cookie dreams.
Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted + cooled slightly
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ cup sourdough starter discard
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 (12 ounce) bag semi sweet chocolate chips
Directions
- Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the melted butter and both sugars. Mix until well combined. Add the egg and mix until combined and fluffy. Add the discard and vanilla and mix. Add half the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until flour is moistened. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining half. Mix until just incorporated - be careful not to overmix! Stir in the chocolate chips. At this point, you can chill the dough or bake immediately. If chilling: Cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour, up to 24 hours.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Form cookie dough into golfball size balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets. (I can fit 6 on a tray.) Bake for 12-14 minutes, until cookies are set and are just beginning to get some color on the tops. Cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely (or, however long you can wait!).Leftovers keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
Jenny says
So good! My husband took a bite and said it was better than my best cookies, and I was a little taken aback. But this is truly the new best cookie recipe. Wonderful crunch, and yet still soft the next day. Better than any bakery cookie I’ve ever had. I tried these after your scone recipe, which was also *chef’s kiss* delicious!
mandyjackson says
Jenny! This made my night!! So glad these are hits 🙂
Pam says
I made these today and they are delicious! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
mandyjackson says
You’re welcome! So glad you liked these! 🙂
Les Beveridge says
Can you freeze and save this cookie dough to make at a later time as well?
mandyjackson says
Yes! I ball it up and freeze it in freezer bags, then bake from frozen. Add a couple more minutes to the bake time 🙂
Jennifer says
How long can I keep the dough in the freezer to bake at a later date?
mandyjackson says
I’d say 2-3 months 🙂
Gary "Sourdough Grampa" says
I just made these, and they are the best ones yet! I've been trying several other recipes, and this one "was just right." Thanks for sharing - this may be my go-to for sourdough chocolate cookies from now on!
Toni says
I'm getting ready to make these. I would like to make 4 to 5 ounces cookies. Would 15 minutes be a good bake time?
Tammy says
I baked these today and WOW! Thank you SO much for this recipe Mandy, they are so delicious! I didn't have unsalted butter so I reduced the salt to just 1/8 tsp and it was perfect. Plus, what a wonderful way to not waste the discard - that has always bothered me, but no more! Between these cookies and your Naan recipe, I will not waste my discard ever again. I can't thank you enough, neither can my hubby - chocolate chip cookies are his favorite! 10/10
Paula says
I’ve made these cookies a couple of times and WOW they have become my families favorites.
I mixed with milk chocolate, dark chocolate, walnuts and pecans and they are out of this world!! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!!
mandyjackson says
WOW that sounds amazing! I’m going to have to try that combo!!
Rocky says
First sourdough discard recipe that I tried, they are super yummy. ❤️
Vicki says
I made these today...this recipe is a keeper!
I went with chilling the dough overnight.
The cookies are a thick cookie & delicious.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
mandyjackson says
So glad you like it!!!
Beth says
I made these a few months ago and my youngest absolutely loved them! She has asked me to make them again because this is her favorite cookie!! Round 2,coming up! ❤️❤️
Joey says
i’m new to sour dough baking. this is the 4th chocolate chip recipe i’ve tried and no need to try any more! SO good. i accidentally purchased milk chocolate chips and they turned out great. recipe is for sure a keeper and now my go-to for chocolate chip cookies. thank you!
mandyjackson says
Love to hear that! Welcome to sourdough - It is so fun!!
Sandy Hokanson says
Can this dough ferment longer than 24 hours?
mandyjackson says
Yes! Just keep in mind it will get more sour the longer it ferments.
Collene says
Just finished making these and they are great! I added chopped pecans, skipped the chili and made them smaller than golf balls (because the cookies monsters in this house would have devoured them in an hour) so there would be more cookies Great recipe!
Anne says
I made these and they are absolutely delicious! I did chill the dough. Probably should double the recipe next time 😏
Carrie says
Great recipe! Cookies are amazing! And the recipe is so easy! Thank you!!
Jesse says
This looks like a great recipe.
Do I need to let the sourdough discard and the egg come to room temperature before I start mixing the dough?
Thanks
Mandy says
Nope - you can use them cold!
Hillary says
Easy recipe that tastes great.. I live at 6200 feet altitude and my cookies often come out flat - not these! I added a minute or two to the time - but no other changes. I baked one batch immediately and put the rest in the fridge for tomorrow. Can’t wait to see how those turn out.
Mandy says
Yay! So glad to hear these worked at high altitude… I know that gets tricky. Enjoy the rest of your cookies 🙂
Kerry Lauffer says
Can these last more than 5 days in a container?
Mandy says
They can, but they won’t taste super fresh. If you want to push it past 5 days, I’d freeze balls of dough - you can bake them straight from the freezer!
Tara says
These are ridiculously so good! I only baked mine for 9 minutes. Two days later and they’re still so good and chewy and soft. They were a hit at my family’s Christmas dinner! Thank you for the recipe 🙏
Mandy says
So glad to hear that!! Merry Christmas 🙂
David says
Made these for the first time. They were the best cookies I've ever made. Friends and family loved them. Nice and moist and soft in the middle. Thanks for sharing.